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Chinua Achebe

Arrow of God Paperback – August 16, 2016

by Chinua Achebe (Author)

240 ratings

Book 2 of 3: African Trilogy

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The second novel in Chinua Achebe’s masterful African trilogy, following Things Fall Apart and preceding No Longer at Ease

When Things Fall Apart ends, colonial rule has been introduced to Umuofia, and the character of the nation, its values, freedoms, religious and socio-political foundations have substantially and irrevocably been altered. Arrow of God, the second novel in Chinua Achebe’s The African Trilogy, moves the historical narrative forward. This time, the action revolves around Ezeulu, the headstrong chief priest of the god Ulu, which is worshipped by the six villages of Umuaro. The novel is a meditation on the nature, uses, and responsibility of power and leadership. Ezeulu finds that his authority is increasingly under threat from rivals within his nation and functionaries of the newly established British colonial government. Yet he sees himself as untouchable. He is forced, with tragic consequences, to reconcile conflicting impulses in his own nature—a need to serve the protecting deity of his Umuaro people; a desire to retain control over their religious observances; and a need to gain increased personal power by pushing his authority to the limits. He ultimately fails as he leads his people to their own destruction, and consequently, his personal tragedy arises. Arrow of God is an unforgettable portrayal of the loss of faith, and the downfall of a man in a society forever altered by colonialism.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for Arrow of God

"My favorite novel." —Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Praise for Chinua Achebe

“A magical writer—one of the greatest of the twentieth century.” —Margaret Atwood

“African literature is incomplete and unthinkable without the works of Chinua Achebe.” —Toni Morrison

“Chinua Achebe is gloriously gifted with the magic of an ebullient, generous, great talent.” —Nadine Gordimer

“Achebe’s influence should go on and on . . . teaching and reminding that all humankind is one.” —The Nation

“The father of African literature in the English language and undoubtedly one of the most important writers of the second half of the twentieth century.” —Caryl Phillips, The Observer

“We are indebted to Achebe for reminding us that art has social and moral dimension—a truth often obscured.” —Chicago Tribune

“He is one of the few writers of our time who has touched us with a code of values that will never be ironic.” —Michael Ondaatje

“For so many readers around the world, it is Chinua Achebe who opened up the magic casements of African fiction.” —Kwame Anthony Appiah

“[Achebe] is one of world literature’s great humane voices.” —Times Literary Supplement

“Achebe is one of the most distinguished artists to emerge from the West African cultural renaissance of the post-war world.” —The Sunday Times (London)

“[Achebe is] a powerful voice for cultural decolonization.” —The Village Voice

“Chinua Achebe has shown that a mind that observes clearly but feels deeply enough to afford laughter may be more wise than all the politicians and journalists.” —Time

“The power and majesty of Chinua Achebe’s work has, literally, opened the world to generations of readers. He is an ambassador of art, and a profound recorder of the human condition.” —Michael Dorris

From the Publisher

Set in the Ibo heartland of eastern Nigeria, one of Africa's best-known writers describes the conflict between old and new in its most poignant aspect: the personal struggle between father and son.

Publisher : Penguin Books; Reissue edition (August 16, 2016)
Language : English
Paperback : 230 pages
ISBN-10 : 0385014805
ISBN-13 : 978-0385014809
Lexile measure : 880L
Item Weight : 7.2 ounces
Dimensions : 5.19 x 0.63 x 7.99 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #67,745 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #32 in African Literature (Books)
- #483 in Cultural Heritage Fiction
- #1,422 in Contemporary Literature & Fiction

Customer Reviews:
240 ratings

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Lovina Northram

Take Five, that is, five levels of meaning in Arrow of God

Reviewed in the United States on December 10, 2013

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This is a complex book with several levels of meaning. On the surface, it seems to be a story of a traditional Nigerian priest dealing with the introduction of Christianity to his community and the tragic consequences. This is a story most of us are familiar with. On another level, the priest is Everyman, struggling to know what God wants of him. This book should be on the reading list of every college philosophy and religion class. It raises many questions about who decides what entity to worship, what our relationship is with God, how we view other religions. Then on another level, one suspects that the Nigerian author Chinua Achebe is having a good time messing with our minds! It helps to read the Book of Ezekiel while reading Arrow of God. Only someone like Achebe, who was brought up a Christian amidst traditional Nigerian gods, standing with one foot in Africa and one in the West, could paint the big picture for us. Arrow of God is like American Jazz--it weaves many themes together. Of course American Jazz is based on traditional African music.

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Jack Kruse

One of Achebe' funniest novels

Reviewed in the United States on July 12, 2012

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I was first struck by how funny this novel was. I guffawed several times while reading it. It takes a remarkable writer to do this with humor, especially across cultures.
I thought this work illustrated well the role of religion in society. For the Igbo there was no separation of religion from society--they were one and the same. It's perhaps fitting that while the administration doesn't quite get this (Clarke doesn't even understand that a Chief Priest is not the same as a medicine man) , the missionaries do, ultimately manipulating the villages to connect Christianity to their harvest.
Achebe does a superb job humanizing Ezeulu in the story, so that the reader forgets that he is truly half-spirit. This makes Ulu's command to stay the course of revenge near the conclusion all the more shocking. There is no option for Ezeulu to do anything else. At the other end of the spectrum, the reader witnesses the death of the Umuaro society in their necessary drive to survive by finding a way to harvest. Similarly, it would have meant the death of Ezeulu (at least culturally) had he accepted the Chief position since his society isn't structured to be ruled (with the exception of the quasi-king that first had to pay everyone debts). Instead Ezeulu chooses the path of self-destruction.
From the British colonial perspective, Achebe shows the tension of indirect rule and their priorities. Clarke and Captain Winterbottom discuss all the money spent on native courts (that they natives won't use) and the void of funding for infrastructure like roads. This is important because one could argue that it is these roads that enable the homogenization of the Igbo people and subjugate a shared identity onto them.

FOLLOWING ARE MY NOTES FOR THE GRAD SCHOOL COURSE IN WHICH WE READ THIS NOVEL. More notes are available on my blog For Unofficial Use Only.
Arrow of God Notes:
-Humor that the English think they understand the people, but they still don't despite prolonged presence...parallels to our presence in Iraq and Afghanistan

- Advantages of living near the infrastructure

- In direct rule seeks lighter hand by default...goal is more to maintain a status quo of peace

- Comments on missionary role by Capt W?

- Influence of infrastructure on Igbo...shifting from a language group to an identity

- with regards to religion, subtleties in the region...a priest chief is not necessarily a medicine man. Religion is the same as the society...there's no delineation as in Western culture.

Ezeulu- Chief Priest of Ulu
Matefi- Ezeulu's senior wife
Ugoye- Ezeulu's younger wife
Okuata- Ezeulu's wife that is dead
Edogo- Eldest son of Ezeulu, and Okuata
Obika- son of Ezeulu (drunk and troublesome and handsome) and Ugoye
Nwafo- youngest son of Ezeulu (his favorite) and Ugoye
Obiageli- daughter of Ezeulu (sister of Nwafo) and Ugoye
Ojiugo- daughter of Ezeulu and Matefi
Akueke- daughter of Ezeulu and Okuata
Oduche- Ezeulu's son

CHAPTER 1
Ezeulu (Chief Priest of Ulu) introduction as he looks to the sky for the new moon (which he must announce). Ezeulu's announcements control the harvest seasons, most importantly the New Yam Feast. Edogo carves ancestral masks. Ezeulu is bitter about division among the six villages because he spoke the truth to the white man and testified against his people about land dispute with Okperi. Obika beats up and humiliates Akueke husband who had been beating her. Oduche is training with the whites per Ezeulu's instructions.
CHAPTER 2
6 Villages come together and call for war against the Okperi (led by Nwaka). Akukalia is killed when Umuaro messengers lose their temper. War ensues with retaliatory killings. Then the whiteman intervenes and judges the land to belong to Okperi. He also breaks all their guns.

CHAPTER 3
Captain Winterbottom is introduced and Tony Clark as his assistant. He recounts their version of the Umuaro-Okperi wars which are different from reality. Captain Winterbottom believe in the value of native institutions but is forced to enforce indirect rule. Ibos never developed a system of central authority.

CHAPTER 4
Enmity of Nwaka and Ezeulu is revealed. Oduche was given to learn the ways of the whiteman's church. Oduche put a python in a box, which Ezeulu finds and frees; scandal ensues. Ezidemelli (Nwaka's friend and python priest) asks what he will do to purify his home.

CHAPTER 5
Winterbottom doesn't believe indirect rule is effective but most obey his superiors. "Great tragedy of British colonial administration was that the man on the spot (who knew his African) and knew what he was talking about found himself being constantly overruled by starry-eyed fellows at headquarters. Ibos detest kings, but Ikedi makes himself one as a puppet of the administration--he's very corrupt.

CHAPTER 6
Akueke's inlaws come for her and promise not to let husband beat her--Ezeulu agrees to this.

CHAPTER 7
Purification day for the six villages. Ugoye has the most ivory of Ezeulu's wives. Nwaka's wives has most ivory. Ezeulu does the purification dance. Women gossip.

CHAPTER 8
Mr. Wright needs unpaid labor to finish his road and gets it from the Umuaro. Obika is late (because he was drunk) to the road work party and gets whipped. In the ensuing controversy Moses acts as an intermediary. Ezeulu tries to get to the bottom of what happens and his sons show no remorse. The death that will kill a man begins as an appetite.

CHAPTER 9
Akuebe visits Ezeulu to talk about Obika and the lack of respect of the youth in general.
Pride of Umuaro that they never see one party as right and the other as wrong.

CHAPTER 10
Background on Capt W (including his soldiering in Cameroon) and how his wife ran off with someone else. Capt W expresses disgruntlement at the bureaucracy and their flawed administrative appointments. Capt W and Clarke dine. Clarke and Wright are friends and no one ever investigates whipping. Capt W intends to make Ezeulu paramount chief. Idea of institutions vs. Infrastructures is addressed with administration spending all the money on native courts but not enough on roads. Most Africans aren't using the courts either (or at least willingly).

CHAPTER 11
Ezeulu visits Akuebe where a man is sick. Ezeulu asks him what the man did to deserve the sickness. Obika and Okuata wed. The medicine man keeps the chicken from the ceremony (which he isn't supposed to do). Ezeulu hopes Obika is a changed man.

CHAPTER 12
Edogo talks to Akuebe and feigns disinterest in being chosen to succeed his father. Oduche gets in fight with Obija about the python. Ezeulu says that Oduche is a sacrifice from the people to Akuebe. Capt W sends messengers to tell Ezeulu to come see him. Ezeulu says no, I will send my son Edogo. No one however great can win judgment against a clan.

CHAPTER 13
Ezeulu calls all the village leaders to talk about being summoned. Nwaka jabs at him over his `friendship' with the whiteman. Ezeulu is unaffected (at least outwardly) by it. Capt W sends for Ezeulu to be arrested and falls ill. Guards come to arrest Ezeulu but they miss him because he already left to come in. The eat, take a bribe and leave. Ezeulu arrives at headquarters and everyone things he cast a spell to make Capt W sick. He likes this.

CHAPTER 14
Obika returns home and Ezeulu has a vision in prison. He starts to plot his revenge. Ezeulu's family comes to visit him. He's offered the position of Chief and refuses it. The advantages of getting in with the whiteman early are discussed. Clarkes calls him a `witch doctor" highlighting the levels of misunderstanding culturally.

CHAPTER 15
Ezeulu is in prison 32 days and his reputation soars as he still refuses the offer. He's then released. Capt W and Clarke get a message from the administration stating that they reserved the adverse report on indirect rule but any change in policy will have to come from the governor. They are directed to maintain the status quo but not appoint any new chiefs.

CHAPTER 16
Ezeulu returns home, enjoying the suffering and plotting his revenge. He reconsiders his revenge due to all the nice people coming to visit him. Ezeulu is told by Ulu that he can't reconsider, he's an arrow of god against Idemelli and the python god. Ezeulu remarks that he is half man and half spirit. He wonders if his boy is also an arrow.

CHAPTER 17
Life returns to normal in the village. A new ancestral mask is introduced. Obika slaughters the ram in the ceremony and Edogo carvest he mask.

CHAPTER 18
Feast of New Yam approaches and Ezeulu plots his revenge. He's questioned by lots of people for delaying the announcement. He rebukes them. The elders come and ask him to ask Ulu how they can appease him so that they can have their yam harvest. Ulu says no. Ezeulu is despised by his people Goodcountry says if they give church a yam they can harvest their fields and he will protect them from Ulu. The best way to deal with whiteman is to know him (so they send their kids to his school).

CHAPTER 19
People are starving. Ezeulu is shunned and lonely. Obika has a fever but goes to dance in a burial ceremony and dies. Ezeulu is ruined. People go to Goodcountry so they can harvest.

6 people found this helpful

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Bonyo Buogha

Waning of African Traditional Ways

Reviewed in the United States on July 4, 2017

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Excellently written to walk us through a situation where the people of Umuaro (and of Africa) transitioned from their rich customs and traditional ways towards colonialism mindsets. And the tragedy Ezeulu brought upon himself and his people in the process. Very vivid, I lived in Umuaro while reading this book, and watched how their mindset transitioned, both for better and mostly for worse.

One person found this helpful

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HupoHupo

Bad writer

Reviewed in the United States on February 22, 2020

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The author is not a real writer. He is like the chief he described in this book. Hard to read!

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Peter Wirhun

Good read !

Reviewed in the United States on January 20, 2020

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Very interesting read, if you want both education and a good story.

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Hubei

Another very good book by Achebe

Reviewed in the United States on January 4, 2020

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The book was interesting because it talked about Nigerian tribal customs and also showed the Nigerian perspective as well as an English colonial perspective.

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Cliente de Kindle

Concise and powerful

Reviewed in the United States on November 8, 2018

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A moving tragedy, beautifully written. The story of the traditional life colliding with the new colonial order unfolds with precise steps to achieve a fully tragic outcome

One person found this helpful

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T. Dickens

Fast Shipment

Reviewed in the United States on March 13, 2019

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Fast delivery. The cover is not what I wanted. The cover shown is not the one I got but I'm sure it still reads the same. I just wanted it to match my Things Fall Apart.

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Top reviews from other countries

Very important book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 30, 2020

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I have loved reading Achebe's African Trilogy' books. There is a real sadness in all of them at the end of ways of life through colonialism and imperial interference.
In 'The Arrow of God' the colonial structures are much more present than 'Things Fall Apart', Achebe does an incredible job of storying the White colonists and presenting their reasons; as missionaries, as labourers and, most convincingly, simply as bureaucrats, cogs in the machine.
The presence of the colonists is too pervasive, coming across in Achebe's literary style in a way that felt less present in 'Things Fall Apart' and I prefer the more Igbo storying of his first book. It is still a great book, an important book for White British prime to read - should definitely be reading this on schools rather than Conrad's 'Heart of Darkness'.

Fussy

A challenging read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 10, 2013

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This is a powerful tale which is an excellent extension to Achebe's first novel Things Fall Apart. Use of the Igbo dialect is a bit difficult for those unfamiliar with it but Achebe finds a way of clarifying what is meant without pandering too much to the non-Igbo English reader.A tale about arrogance and narrow-mindedness on both sides - colonial and tribal.

4 people found this helpful

Really good copy

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 6, 2018

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Had to purchase this, it is a classic. The copy is really good and font and pages a clear.

TallyCat

Beautifully written, this is the follow on from Things ...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 2, 2015

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Beautifully written, this is the follow on from Things Fall Apart. Ezeulu, Chief Priest of the villages of Ulu is witnessing the spread of the white man and his church. His people are challenging his powers and he is feeling that their way of life is changing forever.

Edie Jones

Colonial Africa

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 22, 2013

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This book tells two interpretations of the colonial situation in Africa. On one had the traditional tribal way of settling situations within the tribe, and between long time rivals of the clan, and on the other the colonial homogeneous view of african tribes and how European justice should deal with the situation. Interestingly told,with both perspectives revealing differing views of the same situation told against the relevant frames of reference.

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